Museo Michetti, Museum of modern art in Francavilla al Mare, Italy.

The Museo Michetti, known as MuMi, opened in 1997 in Palazzo San Domenico, a former Dominican convent rebuilt in post-classical style after wartime bombing destroyed its church and circular dome. It is arranged on two levels reached by a staircase from the internal cloister. The lower floor holds Michetti's two large tempera paintings, "Le serpi" and "Gli storpi", both 380x970 cm and shown at the 1900 Paris Exposition; the upper section displays contemporary sculptures and canvases.

The building began as a Dominican convent dedicated to Santa Maria delle Grazie, was deconsecrated in the 1800s and served as Francavilla al Mare's town hall until 1943. War damage destroyed the convent, its church and circular dome, and the palace was rebuilt in a post-classical style. The Museo Michetti opened in 1997, designed by Mose Ricci and Filippo Spaini.

Every year the museum hosts the Premio Michetti, an art prize established in 1947 and, after the Venice Biennale, the longest-running in Italy. Works by its winners, among the leading figures of twentieth-century Italian art, form part of the Michetti Foundation's holdings shown here.

The museum occupies two levels reached by a staircase from the internal cloister, so the exhibition rooms are not step-free. Next to Palazzo San Domenico stand the "A. Russo" Library, the Michetti Foundation offices and the Cicognini Study Centre. The building is in Francavilla al Mare's upper town, the historic centre rebuilt after the war.

The two large tempera canvases in the lower section, "Le serpi" and "Gli storpi", each measure 380 by 970 cm and were shown at the 1900 Paris Exposition Universelle. "Le serpi" recalls the snake ritual of Cocullo in honour of Abbot Domenico di Sora; "Gli storpi" depicts a pilgrimage to the Casalbordino sanctuary, also described by Gabriele D'Annunzio in Il trionfo della morte.